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“That is the ugliest dolphin I’ve ever seen.”
A perfectly manicured hand flies out in the blink of an eye, curling into a fist as it makes impact with Lee’s stomach. Hard. He wheezes, doubling over slightly as he shoots his assailant a stink eye.
“The dread of criticism is the death of genius,” he chokes out, rubbing his middle. Silena rolls her eyes, waving her paintbrush at him like a very pathetic-looking wand.
“And unsolicited criticism is the death of the critic,” she retorts, flicking some excess purple paint at him. When she deems him sufficiently bespeckled enough, she puts down her brush and holds up her painting at arm's length, studying it with a furrowed brow. “Also, it’s not supposed to be a dolphin.”
She flips the painting to face him, and he squints, genuinely trying to make sense of the blur of colors and shapes. “...A siren then?”
“It’s not a sea creature!”
“Then why does it have a fish tail?”
She sighs loudly, tracing the outline with her finger as if that might somehow make the image clearer. “It’s a pegasus. That’s the wings! See?” Her efforts do little to clarify the confusion; even with the explanation, all Lee can make out is that dolphin of nightmarish proportions .
Silena seems to read the confusion on his face, dropping the canvas with a groan. “I hate arts-and-crafts.”
Lee pats her shoulder sympathetically. “There, there. At least you’re hot.”
Silena sniffles dramatically, wiping away some fake tears as she sits up straighter. “Gods, you’re so right. Thank you.”
Lee stifles a laugh as he pulls away, glancing down at his own creation. Admittedly, he’s no better off than Silena. His fourth attempt at a simple friendship bracelet has once again turned into a spaghetti-like snarl of colorful strings. He sighs, setting it aside on the table with a resigned shake of his head, knowing full well that this one, too, is beyond saving.
He looks over to the opposite table, where the younger campers are absorbed in their arts and crafts projects. Lee’s siblings seem to be doing fine (given he wisely chooses to ignore what most likely is some sort of explosive that Elle and Vasanth are huddled over), though a few of Silena’s siblings have taken a different approach to the activity.
Drew, in particular, seems to have enlisted the help of three of her siblings to hold down a screeching Michael as she meticulously applies blue paint as sharp winged liner, giggling something about the way the color really brings out the hazel in his eyes. Michael is shrieking over his shoulder for Val to save him, but their sister seems more focused on mixing more colors for Drew to use in her makeover process. As Michael tries to take a bite out of Drew’s arm, Lee lets out a low whistle.
“Your siblings are very brave,” he remarks, drawing Silena’s attention to the commotion. She frowns at the sight, trying to weigh out whether it’s worth her getting involved.
After a moment, she shrugs, turning away from the declarations of war being shouted between the younger campers. “They’ve learned from the best.”
Lee snorts, but before he can respond, a familiar voice cuts through the noise.
“Hey, guys!”
The two swing their legs over the bench as they turn, just as Luke strides over with a quick wave. His blue eyes glint in the sunlight, striding over to the duo with an easy smile.
“Hey, Luke,” Silena returns his smile, wriggling her paint-smeared fingers in a small wave. “How’s it going?”
“Not too bad,” Luke replies with an small shrug. “Just doing some rounds of…” He trails off, attention drawn to the escalating chaos behind them. “Are you guys going to—?”
“Nope!” Silena cuts him off with a sweet smile. Someone who sounds suspiciously like Mitchell hollers loudly, cursing something about broken sharpies and hot glue guns. “They’ll figure it out.”
Luke snorts, glancing once at what is probably a fantastic spectacle before shaking his head and turning back to them. “If you say so. Anyways…” He steps aside, and Lee suddenly notices the little boy that had been half-hidden behind his leg. “I’m doing some rounds of introductions and thought you all should meet.”
He gives them a knowing look, though even without it, Lee is well aware of what Luke is up to. It’s a move he’s seen the Hermes head counselor employ countless times: introducing a new unclaimed camper to the other cabin heads in hopes of getting the kid one step closer to being claimed. It’s not a guaranteed method, but it’s a far smarter approach than leaving them to linger, unclaimed and alone, while waiting for their divine parent to acknowledge them.
With a little coaxing from Luke, the boy steps forward. A cloud of golden curls frames his face, wide blue eyes peeking out from beneath. His deep tan contrasts sharply with the freckles that cover him from head to toe. He’s wearing a camp shirt that, despite being objectively small, seems a size too big, paired with fraying jean shorts that have clearly seen better days.
Next to him, Silena sucks in a sharp breath. Lee glances over and sees her clutching her fist to her mouth, her lips pressed into a thin line as she gazes at the boy with an expression that can only be classified as of pure, silent love. Lee swears he even hears a soft, almost keening noise as her gaze remained locked ahead.
Luke bends down, placing a gentle hand on the boy’s back with a reassuring smile, whispering something low to him before turning back to Silena and Lee. “Guys, meet Will.”
Will glances nervously between Silena and Lee, small hands tapping lightly at his sides. He looks on the verge of retreating back to safety behind Luke’s legs.
Silena is off the bench in a flash, crouching down to the boy’s level, smile wide and warm. Lee’s pretty sure that if he looks closer, her pupils would be blown wide in adoration. “Hi, Will. My name is Silena,” she says, extending a hand to him. Her tone is soft, and even though she’s no charmspeaker, Lee can practically see her words curving gently around the boy, relaxing him with the encircling love.
As she engages with Will, Lee steals a glance at Luke, who’s watching the two with a faintly amused expression. Lee catches his eye and silently mouths to him, How old? Luke’s smile drops momentarily as he checks to ensure Will remains distracted before holding up seven fingers. Lee frowns as well, eyebrows lifting in surprise—demigods who arrive to Camp that young are either real powerful or the victim of extremely unfortunate circumstances. He hopes for Will’s sake that it’s the former.
Will, meanwhile, tentatively takes Silena’s hand, small fingers wrapping around her palm in a light shake. As they make contact, Silena’s gaze flickers down to his shoes, squinting slightly. “I like your shoes. Are they… Star Wars?”
It’s as if a switch flips in Will. Some of his initial shyness seems to melt away as he nods eagerly. “They light up!” he announces proudly, stomping his foot to show off. Sure enough, the shoes burst out a mild blue glow.
Silena gasps dramatically, her face a picture of impressed wonder. “That is so cool!”
Will gives her a smile that seems to light up the area even more than just his shoes and oh Gods, he has dimples. Silena looks like she’s a second away from tears, but she takes a deep breath and presses on. “So, I’m the head counselor of the Aphrodite cabin. Do you know who that is?”
Will’s nose scrunches as he mulls over the name for a moment before his eyes widen in recognition. “The love lady?”
Silena beams, nodding vigorously. “Yep! That’s right, sweetheart.” Will’s smile returns, a bit shy but clearly pleased with the praise.
“Well, if you need anything at all, you can always come find me,” she says, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. Crouching a little lower, she gives him a dramatic wink. “And you know, my friend Charlie loves Star Wars too. Maybe I can introduce you, and we can all watch it sometime, hm?”
Will looks thrilled at the idea, rocking back onto his heels as he flashes another earth-shattering, dimpled smile. Silena stands up, brushing some dirt from her knees, and glances at Lee with a look that reads your move, loser. Lee suppresses the urge to roll his eyes as he steps forward, offering the younger boy a gentle smile as he takes Silena’s place on the ground in front of him.
“I’m Lee,” he introduces, extending his hand to Will. The boy’s grip is warm—warmer than what you’d expect from someone in the springtime sun. “I’m the acting head counselor for the Apollo cabin. Have you heard anything about him?”
Will frowns, face scrunching in thought once more. “That one’s the shiny cabin?”
Lee smiles encouragingly. “Yep, that’s the one! Apollo—my dad— is the god of a lot of things—the Sun, music, poetry, healing, archery, plague…” He trails off, noticing the wide-eyed look Will gives him and quickly waves it off. “But don’t worry about memorizing all that—the shiny cabin is good enough.”
“It’s real pretty. I liked the flowers,” Will says softly.
“They’re Apollo’s special flowers, from his island,” Lee explains, pausing as he processes the soft drawl in Will’s words. Nice. “Say, are you from the South?”
Will nods, this time with a small, shy smile. “I’m from Texas.”
Really, he can’t blame Silena for being so easily taken by the kid—his smile is infectious. “Well, I’m from Tennessee,” Lee says, returning the smile. “It’s nice to have someone else from out that way here.”
Will’s smile grows, hands wringing the hem of his shirt. “I like Tennessee! We got to stay in a big room when my mama performed there!”
The buzzer goes off in Lee’s mind at that detail. Dad’s really got a type, huh?
Lee leans in a little, resting a hand lightly on Will’s shoulder. “Well, like Silena said, if you need anything, you can always come find me. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other around.” He finishes with a dramatic wink, which earns him a giggle from Will.
As he stands up, Luke straightens as well. He extends a hand, which Will immediately takes in his own. “Okay, well, we’ll be going. Alexi has been in charge for the past thirty minutes.” All three head counselors grimace at the thought before Luke sighs heavily, glancing down to Will. “Let’s see if we have a standing cabin to return to, kid.”
Will doesn’t seem too put off by Luke’s dread, although Lee’s unsure how much exposure the kid has had to the accidentally-destructive nature of many of the Hermes campers- he’s definitely young enough that Lee’s sure Luke had a strict conversation with everyone that he’s off-limit for serious pranks and pilfering. As they walk off, Will turns back for a moment, giving them a final small wave and beaming smile.
Once they’re out of earshot, Lee chuckles. “Cute kid.”
Silena lets out a soft sigh as they both sit back down, her eyes still lingering on where Will had been. “I’m so glad Luke brought him over. I haven’t had a new little brother in a long time.”
Lee hums, leaning back against the table as he stretches out his—
“Wait.”
What?
He snaps his head toward Silena, finding no trace of humor on her face—just pure earnest. It’s so absurd that he can’t help but laugh, shaking his head. “Well, you’re going to have to keep waiting then, because that kid is 100% Apollo.”
Silena doesn’t join in on the laughter, arms crossing tightly over her chest. “You’re kidding, right?”
Lee’s laughter dies in his throat. For a moment, they both stare at each other in silence. “…Why would I be kidding?”
Silena huffs, eyes narrowing into a sharp glare. “That boy is one of mine, Lee.”
Lee raises an eyebrow, doing his best to suppress the laughter that threatens to bubble out once more at the thought. “Lena, just because a kid’s cute doesn’t mean he’s an Aphrodite kid.”
Her eyes flash in annoyance, kicking at the dirt below. “It’s not just that—he has the vibe! I feel it!”
Lee fights the urge to roll his eyes—they really might roll straight back into his head at this point. Instead, he leans in closer, resting his chin on his hand, and giving Silena his widest eyes. “Right, and that vibe has nothing to do with those cute little dimples of his, right?” he asks, batting his eyelashes dramatically.
Silena stands abruptly, her leg snapping out to kick his shin hard. Before he can complain, she fixes him with a scowl. “Keep being an ass, Fletcher, and you’re waking up ginger again.”
She starts to stalk away, but only gets about five paces away before she suddenly pivots. With a sharp call, she calls her siblings to come with her, still pointedly avoiding sparing a glance at Lee. He watches as she tries to wrangle them away from the chaos unfolding among the younger campers, snickering to himself at the twitch that starts in her right eye. Settling back in his seat, Lee grabs some more string for round five of attempted friendship bracelet weaving, deciding to give Silena her space. Surely, she’ll get over it soon enough.
Silena, in fact, does not get over it. While Lee doesn’t wake up ginger (thank Gods), when he tries to talk to her and Pollux after breakfast, Silena suddenly turns to Pollux with a cold smile.
“Oh Lux, do you smell that?”
Pollux blinks, inhaling sharply before frowning. “Uh, is something on fire—”
“—Oh, I’ve got it!” Silena interrupts, her voice dripping in false enthusiasm. “It smells like bitch in here.” She shoots Lee a final venomous look before turning on her heel and walking away, leaving Pollux bewildered and Lee’s annoyance deepening.
Lee’s pretty sure she would have kept avoiding him for the rest of the week if possible, but lucky for him, Silena and Lee from three days ago had the brilliant idea to coordinate some time for their friends at the beach. So, later that evening, after finally managing to extricate himself from the clinging attention of several little siblings, he arrives at the beach, where Castor waves him over to the small fire already crackling. As he gets closer, he hears Silena chatting with the group, a wide smile stretching across her face. “...had so much fun. Maja is so excited for him to get claimed—”
Lee groans, throwing his bag to the ground as he flops onto the sand next to Castor. “So you’re still on this, huh?”
Instantly, a frown settles on Silena’s face as she turns to Beckendorf with an annoyed sigh. “Charlie, tell Lee that I don’t speak asshole.”
Beckendorf blinks, silent in processing for a moment before reluctantly turning to Lee. “Uh, Silena asked me to tell you—”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard,” Lee grumbles, shooting Silena an annoyed frown. He feels an arm drape across his shoulder and glances at Castor, who gives him a look that seems to say for the love of Zeus, just let it go. Unfortunately, the flair for drama that runs in Lee’s blood overrides Castor’s incredible puppy eyes. He turns back to Silena, making a face. “You’re being ridiculous, Silena. The kid said his mom is a musician—”
“—and Iqra’s dad is a musician too! That proves nothing!” Silena interjects, crossing her arms.
“—He’s got the most stereotypical Apollo look going for him—”
“Elijah has the look too! And I’d argue he’s even blonder!”
“—And not to mention the kid was practically eating up the sunlight. You felt how warm he was, surely—”
“Trick of the light! Besides, I’d argue my cabin is tied with you guys for the best tans—”
June claps her hands twice, cutting them off. Her dark eyes flick between the two of them, seemingly stuck between curiosity and annoyance. “What in Hades are you two even fighting about?”
Lee scowls, still simmering from the argument, though he relaxes slightly as Castor begins to slowly drag a hand through his curls. Silena, on the other hand, immediately sits up straighter, glaring at Lee out of the side of her eye. “This jerk apparently has decided Will is an Apollo kid just because he’s blonde and tan and blah blah blah.”
Lee groans, considering how much sand he could dump on her head before someone tackled him down. “He’s a carbon copy of my dad—of course I think he’s one of mine! Besides, that’s better than your reasoning of he’s got a vibe—”
“—if you’d let me explain, it’s more than just a vibe! It’s actually very clear if you just—”
Before either can finish, a hand smacks the back of Lee’s head—the same hand that had been playing with his hair just a moment ago. He yelps in protest, and judging by Silena’s annoyed grunt, Castor got her too with his other hand. “Okay, Will is the little one Luke’s been carting around, right?”
Both Lee and Silena nod in unison. Adair, who’s been quietly fiddling with some grass he sprouted between the sand, looks up and tilts his head thoughtfully. “You know, I could see him being be a Demeter kid. He was very gentle and…”
He trails off, shrinking under the twin glares Lee and Silena shoot his way. Beckendorf, stifling a snort, gives Adair an encouraging nod. “Nah, go on. Are you going off vibes too?”
Adair hesitates, then clears his throat, still looking a bit self-conscious. “Well, Dawn mentioned she noticed the grass seems to like him. And, uh, the flowers too. Like they were drawn to him or something.”
Silena rolls her eyes, waving him off. “That means nothing. Everyone’s just seeing what they want to see.”
June hums, her fingers tapping thoughtfully against her knee. “That’s just it. Everyone’s seeing what they want to see.” She smirks at Silena’s confused expression, leaning forward. “If you can insist he’s an Aphrodite kid, and Lee’s swearing up and down he’s Apollo, what’s stopping him from being Demeter? You guys aren’t exactly giving concrete evidence of anything”
Lee frowns at the last comment, opening his mouth to argue. “But his mom—”
“—is a musician, yeah, we know,” June cuts him off with an eye roll. “But Silena has a point. That doesn’t exclusively mean Apollo. Especially if she’s famous or something. Famous people are, like, a magnet for godly attention.”
Adair nods thoughtfully. “Yeah. And besides, Katie’s dad is a banker or something. It’s not like my mom only goes for gardeners.”
Castor shifts at Lee side, raising an eyebrow. “Isn’t her last name literally ‘Gardner’?”
Adair waves him off, “No, no—well, technically, yes. But since it’s spelled without the the first ‘e’ it’s not…” He falters, suddenly looking very confused. “Wait a second… Holy shit, does my mom only go for gardeners?”
The group stares at him, half amused, half considering the possibility themselves as Adair starts to outline his mother’s romantic history under his breath, clearly trying to connect the dots. While he spirals, Beckendorf, who had been quietly listening, flashes a small grin. “You think Luke would let the kid try out at the forge? I could always use an extra hand.”
“Charlie!” Silena gasp, smacking his arm lightly. “You’re supposed to be on my side!”
Beckendorf chuckles, inching away when Silena narrows her eyes in annoyance at him. “Sorry, but you’ve really sold me on the kid. Sounds sweet. Plus, he’s into Star Wars—good taste.”
Silena practically hisses at him in response, but June nods, leaning forward with a thoughtful expression. “And you know what? He could be an Athena kid.”
Lee groans as loudly as he can, dragging a hand down his face for extra effect. Predictably, June ignores his theatrics, continuing. “For one thing, Annabeth’s taken a real liking to him.”
Pollux lifts his head from the sand pillow he had made for himself, raising an eyebrow. “Annabeth stalks every new kid. It’s just the freaky brain baby genes at work.”
June scowls, launching a pebble that smacks him in the center of his forehead. “First of all, shut up. Second, she told me he’s apparently pretty smart, which she doesn’t say lightly. And, bonus points, if she’s spending time with him, it means she thinks there’s something special about him.”
Lee groans again—somehow louder this time—as he turns to the twins. “So, are you two going to throw your hats into the ring now, or what?”
Pollux looks like he’s seriously considering it, but before he can say anything, Castor kicks his ankle. “No way. I’m already miserable having to share my space with this dork.”
Pollux squawks in offense, grabbing a handful of sand and making a dramatic attempt to dump it down the back of Castor’s shirt. Castor proceeds to somersault away from the attack, letting out a high-pitched shriek as he takes off running, with Pollux hot on his heels.
Over the fire, Lee catches Silena’s gaze, and they both share a very satisfying eye roll. After a moment, she walks over and plops down in Castor’s former seat. “Hi.”
He glances to her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Hi.”
They sit in silence for a moment, savoring the sounds of thrashing grape vines and Pollux now pleading for mercy from Castor. Eventually, Silena breaks the silence. “I’m bored of fighting with you.”
Lee has to suppress a chuckle at the statement. “You barely lasted two days.”
She shoots him a mock glare, bumping his shoulder hard. “Is that a challenge?”
“No ma’am,” he replies quickly, hurriedly pretending to bow dramatically. Silena’s faux annoyance melts away into a giggle as she bumps him again, this time more gently.
A loud yelp draws their attention back to their friends. Adair has somehow been dragged into Castor and Pollux’s scuffle, spitting out a waterfall of sand as June shrieks and scrambles away from the rising dust cloud. She heads towards a grumbling Beckendorf, whose leg is tangled in a thick grapevine.
As Silena rests her head on his shoulder, Lee is more than happy to let the argument drop. With everyone at camp seemingly determined to claim the kid, he figures that once he’s officially claimed, the debate will be put to rest. For now, he’s content to let it go if it means getting one of his best friends back.
The simultaneous peace between them and the shrieks of their friends is almost enough to distract him from her quiet whisper: “May the best cabin win.”
He stifles a smile, resting his head atop hers.
The next few days descend into semi-controlled chaos at camp. Word of Will spreads like wildfire, and soon every cabin is clamoring to claim him for their own. Before anyone can begin, though, Luke has a stern talking to with all the head counselors to avoid smothering Will with attention.
“Any tests you want to try with him have to go by me,” he says, shooting them all a sour look. “He’s seven, and the last thing I want is everyone overwhelming him out of nowhere and getting his hopes up over nothing.”
Some cabins are quickly eliminated from the running. Beckendorf, with Luke’s approval, takes Will to the forge, only to discover that, charming as he is, the kid has two left feet—a fatal flaw for a metalworker. The Demeter kids initially seem like strong contenders when dryads take a surprising liking to Will. However, their hopes wane after Will’s attempt to tend a small plant results in death in record time.
June self-eliminates the Athena cabin by day two, gleefully informing Silena and Lee that she just “wanted to watch them squirm for a little longer”. The Ares cabin briefly considers training Will into a warrior but gives up when he books it to the woods the second Luke tries to take him for sword-fighting.
By day four, the competition narrows down to Apollo and Aphrodite. While he initially thought Luke’s rule was a tad pessimistic, Lee begins to understand the why as the other cabins drop out. Will is still for the most part all dimpled smiles and warm laughter, but Lee catches the flashes of disappointment that paints the younger boy’s expression when many of the older campers move their attention elsewhere, bored by waiting around for something to happen.
Lee’s heart sinks a little at the sight. The last thing he wants is to make things harder for the kid, but with each passing day, the pressure for something to happen grows stronger. It’s a delicate balance—staying hopeful, yet not overwhelming Will with his own expectations. Lee hates to admit it, but he knows he’s secretly waiting for that one “Apollo moment”—a sign of musical talent, a flash of archery prowess, anything remotely linked to their godly father’s domains.
It’s hard not to imagine it: Will standing there, gently strumming a guitar or picking up a bow and arrow, and Apollo’s light shining down like a stamp of approval. And yet, with every day that passes without that shining moment, Lee’s hopes dim a little more. Apollo doesn’t waste time when it comes to claiming his children—in fact, the longest an Apollo camper has stayed unclaimed in recent memory was Elle, and even that took only five days (two of which she spent unconscious, so in Lee’s books it’s basically three).
While Lee tries to balance his wishful thinking with keeping his distance, Silena seems to embrace the uncertainty. Despite their unspoken rivalry, she greets Lee each morning with a chipper smile and a wave, clearly enjoying the fact that Will remains happily squished among the Hermes campers, untouched by golden auras and flashing lyres.
She spends a significant amount of time with Will, more than Lee feels comfortable doing himself—lest all twelve of his siblings catch wind of things and start smothering the poor kid. She paints his nails, takes him to the docks to play with naiads, and showers him in chocolates from her father’s shop. When they’re together, both constantly alight with joy, to the point that even as competitors, Lee can’t deny it’s insanely cute.
But one morning, as Lee heads to breakfast, he notices something is off—there's no chipper smile or wave from the otherwise-full Aphrodite table. He tries to ignore it for now, focusing instead on ensuring his siblings are actually eating their breakfast and not using it as an art project.
At the end of breakfast, he gets his opening when Drew sprints over to their table, whispering something to Michael, who immediately perks up and starts to dart away. Lee grabs Michael by the scruff of his shirt before he can make his escape. “Whoa, cool your jets, heatwave.”
Michael squirms, trying to wriggle free. “I haven’t even done anything yet! You can’t lock me up for nothing!”
Lee sighs. Michael’s hasty defense is a blaring sign that he’s definitely about to cause trouble—given Drew’s charmspeak and Michael’s general talent of Causing Problems, he wouldn’t be surprised if they’re planning on exploding something (or someone). But right now, he has more pressing matters.
Still gripping the howling street cat that he calls his brother, Lee turns to Drew. “Where’s Silena? I didn’t see her at the table today.”
Drew shrugs, leaning over and snatching a strip of bacon from Val’s plate, ignoring the older girl’s protests. “She’s in the cabin. I think she’s sulking about something.”
Lee frowns and loosens his grip on Michael, finally allowing him to slip away. “Do you know what she’s upset about?”
Drew rolls her eyes. “I’m not a mind-reader,” she snaps. Before Lee can ask anything further, she shoves the remaining bacon into her mouth before grabbing Michael’s hand and pulling him away. Lee is not too bothered by her exit—he’s gotten more out of Drew than he would have expected, really.
He approaches Kassy, striking a quick deal for her to cover his cabin head duties for the morning in exchange for him taking the overnight shift—a task that makes him kind of want to tear his hair out but is willing to endure for Silena’s sake. With everything arranged, he heads to the Aphrodite cabin.
He knocks gently on the door, inhaling the fresh scent of jasmine and roses that emanates from the cabin. After a moment, a muffled voice responds, “Just go to your activities, guys.”
Lee hesitates but doesn’t let the dismissal deter him. With a gentle push, he opens the door and steps into the cabin.
Inside, the room is bathed in the warm, golden sunlight that filters through the sheer curtains. Silena is seated before one of the mirrors, her posture unnaturally rigid. She seems to be absently brushing her hair, strokes slow and mechanical, her reflection giving a clear view of distant eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
She certainly sees him in the mirror but remains silent as he approaches and hovers by her side. “Hey, Lena. What’s going on?”
She doesn’t move for a moment, brushing motions coming to a halt. Then, she looks up, a sad smile painting her face. “Well, you did it. You won.”
Lee blinks, tilting his head in confusion. “What do you mean? Will isn’t claimed yet.”
Silena takes a shuddering breath, squeezing her eyes shut tight. A tear, tainted by mascara, slips down her cheek. “My mother came to me in my dreams last night,” she whispers, her tone bitter. “I’ve been making offerings every day, begging her to claim Will if he’s one of hers. I must have annoyed her enough to make her show up and deliver the rejection face-to-face.”
Lee’s heart sinks. He should be feeling victorious—this practically confirms Will as one of his. But seeing one of his favorite people silently crying, he can’t find it in himself to celebrate. “I’m sorry, Lena. That really sucks.”
Silena shakes her head, scrubbing her face roughly. “That’s not even the worst part, Lee. She—she said she’s going to keep a special eye on him.”
Lee frowns and sits on the edge of the vanity bench, moving close to Silena until their shoulders touch. “Isn’t that a good thing? Maybe it means he’ll get a blessing or something.”
Silena’s face crumples further. “You don’t understand. My mom said she’s keeping an eye on him because ‘his story will be interesting.’ Any people she takes an interest in… well, their stories always end badly.” She throws her brush down on the vanity, scowling at her reflection. “I mean, her favorite story is of Achilles and Patroclus! And I just don’t want her to—”
Her voice breaks as she stifles a sob. Lee feels his heart twist painfully and wraps his arms around her tightly. “Hey, hey—you don’t blame yourself. The gods are going to have their own plans regardless. You can’t control what they do.”
Silena sniffles, her voice barely audible as it’s buried in his shoulder. “I just feel so bad. If I hadn’t been so obsessed with this, maybe she wouldn’t have gotten involved.”
Lee hesitates for a moment before pulling away, taking her hands in his own. He begins tapping her knuckles absently, a steady rhythm that he hopes will ground her. “If she wanted to watch over him, Lena, she would have done it anyway. And I know the track record is bad, but… maybe it doesn’t have to be a terrible thing.”
Silena shakes her head, pulling a hand away to wipe under her eyes. “I just really care about him. I know he’s not one of mine, but I… I just really wanted to be his sister, you know?”
Lee nods, a small, reassuring smile forming. He thinks about the other campers, how quick everyone is to move on once someone isn't one of their own. Silena, however, defies that pattern. Her compassion goes beyond mere expectation—she has her own way of valuing love and care that never ceases to amaze Lee. While some might attribute her compassion to Aphrodite, he thinks that’s underestimating her—it’s all Silena.
“Even if Will’s not an Aphrodite kid, that doesn’t mean you can’t be there for him. You’ve put so much effort into getting to know him. He adores you just as much as you adore him, so why should that change just because you don’t share a mother?”
Silena nods slowly, her sniffles tapering off. “I guess you’re right.” She glances at him, her eyes brightening. “I really do hope he’s one of yours. I know you’d do right by him.”
Lee squeezes her hand, feeling a lump in his throat. “Well, if he is my brother, he’s automatically yours too!” When Silena smiles, he adds with a grin, “That does mean I’ll expect you to help out with babysitting at least twice a week. I could use a break.”
Silena lets out a wet laugh, swatting him lightly. “He’s not even one of yours yet, and you’re already planning to offload him?”
Lee sticks out his tongue. “Talk to me when you’ve got twelve ducklings following your every move.”
Silena laughs, leaning forward and burying her giggles into his shoulder as he pats her head gently, After a few moments, Lee glances at the door, flicking her head lightly. “How about we get out of here and go find Will? Maybe all three of us can do something together.”
Silena lifts her head, raising an eyebrow. “Are you dragging me out of here? Because I literally just cried off all my makeup. I need at least twenty minutes to recover.”
Lee rolls his eyes, standing up and pulling her with him. “Babe, I promise you’re still hot. In fact, I’d argue the running mascara look is very camp.”
Silena yelps as he tugs her toward the door, shooting him a mock glare. “Not all of us are going for the half-assed emo look,” she grumbles. Lee gasps in very real offense, because the Gods themselves will have to pry his wonderful tight-lining habits from his cold dead heads. “And why do I have a feeling your grand plan involves the free chocolate I’ve been giving Will?”
“No idea what you’re talking about,” Lee says with a laugh, pulling her closer. “Now come on. Let’s go find Will. I could go for a nice bonbon about now.”